NA VS SUPERCHARGED: THE SATRIA NEOS

I have always loved hatchback cars, especially a 2-door hatch. I have always fantasized owning the Honda EK9 with a sweet B18C VTEC powered engine. But the car is way too expensive for me to own. Not to mention the high theft rate for that baby. Anyhow, back in the day, I did manage to get my hands on another hot hatchback. In the way of a Proton. Yes, I have owned a Proton Satria before.

The first generation in fact, with the number plates positioned on the bumper. Although it was only equipped with a 4G93 twin cam, it packed a whole lot of punch. I had a great time in it. It was also the first car I did some track time in Sepang with that was sort of competitive. Too bad, my relationship with that hot hatch did not last long. I had a string of bad luck with it. Accident after accident until I could no longer deal with the cost of repairing it. I eventually sold it off. Still missing it though.

The first generation Proton Satria was produced locally by Proton in 1994 and ended in 2005. It was based on the fourth generation Mitsubishi Mirage/Colt. This was a result between a joint venture with Proton and Diversified Resources Bhd. (DRB). In between those years, the Satria had a facelift where the rear hatch design was revised.

There were also the race versions of the Satria which came in the shape of a Satria GTI and also the Satria R3. The new Satria Replacement Model (SRM), known as the Proton Satria Neo was then launched on 16 June 2006. The name Satria which means knight in Sanskrit was chosen for Proton’s 3-door hatchback to reflect the sportiness of the car.

Satria Society’s admin happily shooting away

I guess most of you would have been very familiar with the car already so I would not dabble much into the specifics. In today’s feature, we have two very unique and different Proton Satria Neos. The Neo was first introduced in June 2006 as a replacement to its first generation elder brother.

Hazy day

It was based on a new platform developed in-house by Proton and it came with only 2 different engine specifications. The 1.3 B-line and the 1.6 M-line. In Feb 2009, Proton launched the CPS version which came with an aggressively styled body-kit and spoiler which they say pays homage to the Satria GTI.

And as a successor to the original Satria R3, Proton came out with another Neo. Guess what? It’s called the Satria Neo R3! It came with a sportier body-kit, 17” rims and a lowered suspension setup derived from Lotus. Recaro seats and a Momo steering wheel came as standard equipment.

Lets start with the Yellow one. Muizz, the owner is a veteran when it comes to cars and also bikes.

Prior to this Neo, Muizz has owned a whole fleet of other awesome and amazing rides, 2-wheeled and 4. Although Muizz has owned an impressive lineup of toys, he still has a soft spot for the Satria.

That is because the Satria was his 1st car when he first got his driving license. Well, not this Satria, but a carburetted 1.3 fire red Satria. Like any other hot blooded and testerone-filled enthusiasts, Muizz toyed around with an exhaust system, ICE and everything else that you could think of on his little red Satria until the car did not look at all like its original self. Of all the cars that he has owned to date, he still remembers the good times and fun he had with the little red Satria which was why in 2014, he set his mind to look for another Satria to toy around with during the weekends and for spirited drives up the canyons and tracks.

Having gone through a multitude of cars from transplanted 90s Satrias to GTIs with BOTs, nothing stood out for Muizz until he came across this particular car. A low mileage R3 which initially was priced way above his budget.

But after a good song and dance with the owner, they managed to agree on a price and hence the R3 became Muizz’s. As the car’s prime role is to be a weekender / once-in-awhile kinda drive Muizz has many plans for his new toy.

Whatever that he could not succeed with his 1st Satria, Muizz has the intentions to lay it all out on this Neo instead.

What a way to relive that nostalgic feeling of your first ride. Kudos Muizz. The need to complete that old dream of his was one of the main reasons why Muizz has been on the lookout for a local hatch.

Hats off to you brother Muizz. You are one of a kind! Although Muizz mentioned that modding this car wouldn’t break the bank, I think Muizz’s bank must be in the infinites.

Check out the spec sheet below for all the mods that Muizz had gone through for his hot little hatch. I admire Muizz’s dedication and admiration to fulfil his long time nostalgia.

Something that I think all of us should have when it comes to life and also in anything we do.

On to the Green Hulk. Ilyas, the owner bought his ride back in Aug 2011. His search for the car was an epic one as he had to go all the way to the Proton center in Bangi to obtain this car as there wasn’t any manual transmission equipped Satria Neos around at that point of time.

Prior to this, Ilyas was driving a 1.3 Perodua Myvi that was underpowered and understeered too much for his liking. Hence the transition into this Satria Neo CPS. Ilyas also mentioned that he finds the neo CPS one of the best looking and handling 2-door hatchback in his budget that he could get his hand on.

Ilyas’s main objective for this car is to have a daily driver and also a machine that could carve the tracks with. To date, he has participated in a few open track days.

Ilyas mentioned that he is still prepping his ride for more serious events like time attacks and track days

Being like every other hot hatchback owners around, Ilyas loves spirited drives on the touge, sometimes even high-speed runs on our local freeways (ahem ahem).

With a well-balanced ride with just the right amount of power the Neo has always given such joy to Ilyas each time he is behind the wheel of his beloved.

Ilyas has come a long way with his modification on his beloved hatch.

He is still keen in perfecting the best setup that suits his driving style and is working hard to complete his build to make his ride more competitive when it comes to events and official time attacks.

ABOUT US

Mcclubz was sparked by the passion for all things automotive. With our expertise in photography,
it was decided that we could combine our two passions and turn it into something that can showcase our passion and enthusiasm for the automobile.

To date, Mcclubz has a slew of services offered related to the automotive scene in Malaysia such as: